Plagodis phlogosaria
Encyclopedia
The Scorched Wing or Straight-lined Plagodis (Plagodis phlogosaria) is a species of moth
of the Geometridae family. It is found in all of North America
except the far south and Yukon
and Alaska
.
The binomial name refers to the Greek "phlogos" (meaning “flame”), "phlogistos" (meaning “to burn” or “inflame”) or "phlogosis" ("meaning inflammation"). This refers to the patches on both the fore- and hindwing, which look like they are scorched.
The wingspan
is 28-38 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on alder, basswood, birch, black cherry, choke cherry, hazel and willow.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Geometridae family. It is found in all of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
except the far south and Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
The binomial name refers to the Greek "phlogos" (meaning “flame”), "phlogistos" (meaning “to burn” or “inflame”) or "phlogosis" ("meaning inflammation"). This refers to the patches on both the fore- and hindwing, which look like they are scorched.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 28-38 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on alder, basswood, birch, black cherry, choke cherry, hazel and willow.
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognised:- Plagodis phlogosaria iris
- Plagodis phlogosaria bowmanaria
- Plagodis phlogosaria approximaria
- Plagodis phlogosaria keutzingaria
- Plagodis phlogosaria purpuraria Pearsall
- Plagodis phlogosaria illinoiaria